I may be the outlier here, but I curse like a sailor. Not around everyone and certainly not to shock. But my close friends and family swear. If I say "effing this" or "freaking that" you know what I mean. In your head you hear the word I've bleeped.

Maybe it's where I live or my generation. I don't say the F-word in supermarket lines or where it can be overheard. I don't say it around children, the easily offended, or the faint of heart. My intent is not to shock or offend. I also don't consider it a religious oath, so maybe that's my loophole. :)

Most epithets are euphemisms for something badder. :-)

Aha, Writersblock, thanks for the link, I must show it to my family as I am now vindicated… Very first line of the article says that in the movie the Wolf of Wall Street the F bomb is used once every 2.83 minutes, more than any other drama in history. That sounds about right and explains a lot.

When I was a SAHM I watched everything that came out of my mouth because I didn't want my children to use bad language. But....one day during a snow storm there was a driver that almost caused me to crash, I called him a F----r and flipped him the bird. My kids were stunned, the car got real quiet then we all burst out laughing.

We owned a machine shop and the language on the floor was always salty. I can really swear like a sailor when I get irritated. I blame the industry as Mtn does.

My DGF's favorite was Hells Bells. I rather like that one.

Thanks, writersblock. I wish I knew the word pempslider back when I was working as I worked with a whole slew of former consultants...

I curse occasionally but I am not a fan of freakin or frig. To me, they are too close to the f word and are often used when the f word is not necessary. For example, "Where is the freakin waitress with our food?". IMO, people should use a different adjective or just use the real word :)

Well I draw a line between freak and fr*g as fr*g IS the real word...it means the same thing as the other one. In fact, one time at work I did use the word freakin' and my boss looked at me and said, "What did you just say?!?" I then repeated it clearly enough so he heard the distinction and he said, "Oh. OK."

Annie, well, I thought I'd been around the block enough times, but I guess not. :)

I thought fr*g was just a euphemism for the F word, a rather nonlyrical one at that. Little did I know it has a meaning all its own.

"I
may be the outlier here, but I curse like a sailor." I'm right with you Linelle. I at least have a filter, while DH has none.

Last week our area flooded. I was in NJ visiting my sister so Dh took a video of all the water around our house. He was exclaiming the F word every few seconds. I really wanted to post it to Facebook but it would probably get pulled!

I think most people think that friggin and freakin are euphemisms for the real word. AnnieD, what do you mean when you say that "frig is the real word"?

It's an old anglo saxon word, same exactly as f*ck, deee. Related etymologically to the name of the Norse goddess Frigga. I expect it's slipped into more common use by people who don't realize that if you don't want to say one, you don't want to use the other, either.

it is much 'gentler' to my ears tho when I hear freakin or frickin or friggin...

but, the 'real' f word is so commonplace now that it really has lost the impact it used to have-- but, I would never say the f word in public haphazardly-- I was in a store recently and there were 2 younger women with toddlers who must have said the f word in conversation 8-10 times during the few minutes I was near them-all I could think is what do these women say when they REALLY want to make a point!? I think a few choice words really should be saved for choice situations!!

Deee, Urban Dictionary is your friend, but often NSFW.

I am another who swears-- I also worked most of my life in male dominated fields but I think it started in high school sports.. and then I perfected the more creative and picturesque strings when I attended a women's college.

I have very much cut back on my swearing... when my nieces and nephews were young, they spent a lot of time with me so I learned to restrain my language to what I consider the proper time and place (others may not agree!)

I use variations on the F word (rarely one of the substitutes) and a$$ most frequently... sometimes S word though I've tried to drop it completely. I rarely use the B word.. or the C word.. but when I do, it's been earned.

I also use "bloody hell".. "oh boy".. "oh for pete's sake" "for crying out loud"

MagdalenaLee, thank you, filter was what I meant. I hear "the word" coming out of people as often as "like," "I mean," and "you know." As someone who savors the appropriately dropped F-bomb, I think it loses its effectiveness when the floodgates are opened.

Funkyart, drop the S word completely? Say it ain't so!!!

I lived in England for 6 years. Bloody is a lot stronger than Americans may think, and Bleeding is even more so.

Funkyart said:

"I rarely use the B word.. or the C word.. but when I do, it's been earned."

:-)

Linelle, actually I checked the "real' dictionary before I made my comment. Urban dictionary is useful but never my friend :)

To me, it seems that fr## is a word that has different meanings depending on the culture and time period and that the definition and usage have evolved over time. During a certain time period in a certain culture it was the same word as f### but I don't think that is the case right now.

From Merriam-Webster, fr*g:

often vulgar

: copulate —often used in the present participle as a meaningless intensive

Yeah, it still means what it always meant.

There is one expression that isn't an obscenity, but it sure sounds like one and it's one I'd rather not hear: pie hole.

never heard 'pie hole' in my entire life til now! is that one of the holes created when pricking a pie crust?? sounds very odd, but not offensive!

Urban Dictionary has spared me from embarrassing myself. It has a lot of stuff the traditional dictionaries can't keep up with. Stuff your kids hear and mostly understand. It helps to be aware. F**g has multiple meanings.

I am very careful with my language, as most who want to be are, but it is telling to hear what comes up in moments of duress and frustration. I said the word damn the other day when dealing with my Dad who has dementia, after a particularly difficult situation.

carai, is Portuguese for f..... I have learned a few of these Portuguese words during our marriage!

never heard 'pie hole' in my entire life til now! is that one of the holes created when pricking a pie crust?? sounds very odd, but not offensive!

No, it's the hole in your face where you put pie when you eat it. I never heard that much in real life till I moved here, where my neighbor always uses it instead of just saying "mouth." As in, "The dentist told me to open my pie hole wider when he was setting the post for the implant."

Well, I can also quote well respected dictionary pages that verify the info in my post about the word fr**. But, I hate when a thread goes in that direction so I am just going to disagree and leave it at that.

"Shut yer pie hole." That's the way it's used around here.

too funny!! I wonder why pie...?? (instead of cake or bread or doughnut or taters or .................)

Yeah, MagdalenaLee, that's pretty much the only way I'd ever heard it till I met my neighbor.

I imagine the popularity of pie hole ties into the vulgar American Pie movies.

Actually I was watching the Blackboard Jungle, a movie from 1955, and they did say cake hole instead.

Oh yes cake hole is a thing - I've heard & used both plenty of times

Oddly enough, I am much less likely to swear when I am very angry. I am very expressive but I am more likely to swear when mildly annoyed than when I am angry.

Linelle - Yes, I am making a conscious effort to stop using Sh**. I am embarrassed to share why.. but I will. Somewhere along the way, I picked up the phrase "sh** the bed" when referring to a plan that went wrong. Usually a work related project. I haven't said it often-- but I cringe each time I do. It's gross. That's the extreme.. but it is a reminder that it's all gross :)

I also hate cake hole and pie hole ...

When I get very, very, angry, I get quiet and talk almost in a whisper. Too angry for cursing.

somehow, I have escaped hearing any of the 'hole' expressions except the most common one!

the angrier I get, the more I curse... unless I'm the type of angry where I'm close to tears...if I'm hurt angry, I'm less likely to curse I think...

One of my running buddies swears a lot, especially when she's driving. I use to hang out with her a lot more than I do now and my swearing is negligible compared to what it used to be, especially when I'm driving.

It is amazing how frequent usage makes it seem normal. I watch Judge Judy and when I heard people say, "I seen him....." it used to grate a lot more than it does now. I trust I won't actually find myself saying it though!

DH says "shut yer piehole" a lot, just to be funny and because he knows I hate it. To me, piehole just sounds like a-hole.

When my oldest DS was maybe 3, he walked into a party and loudly asked "What the hell is going on here?" I almost died on the spot but now I think it's hilarious, remembering this tiny boy in his most demanding tone. Yes, he is still a handful at age 23. But it's funny, he and my other kids never swear in front of me. Oldest does say "freakin"...I hate that, and its relatives (frig, friggin). I don't know why.

I use the "real" F word too much, most often when I am driving alone, directed at other drivers...but I have never said it in front of my kids. I use the "sh" word freely in front of them. DH only swears when he is REALLY mad. One of his really "bad" words is d--chebag or just d--che for short. For some reason I find that word so funny, I love using it. I probably use the term "pain in the ass" on a daily basis.

I grew up with a dad who was pretty mild-mannered but swore a lot, especially during TV football games. I think that's where I get it from!

I love d**che bag.. I don't use it but only because I never picked it up.

I use the simple-but-effective "dam#-it!" when I'm not worried about damaging my ladylike image (ROFL!). When I am, I usually resort to "Crud!", "crap", "shoot", "darn-it" or "darn darn darn!!!" I never use the F-word or "take the Lord's name in vain", but I do use the above rest a lot.

There was a fellow I worked with who didn't like his boss...used to call him smegma....

smegma! To his face?!

Of course not...behind his back.

There was a fellow I worked with who I really didn't like, though for some reason, he really liked me. I used to call him SIPOS...the s was for self, i for important ... I think you know the rest. I of course never called him that to his face either...it was a, shall we say, endearing nickname....

OH, thanks for the reminder. POS is one of my favorites too.

lol... dbag was also one of my hub's faves(he doesn't use it now as much as when we were younger)... to me it's a little mild-- it needs an expletive in front of it!!

I just had to look up smegma. Unfortunately while eating dinner.

If I'm moderating my output I'll say "effing" instead of the real thing. I find it more satisfying than other substitutes.

Oh goodie goodie, I learned a new word today, I wish I hadn't but I did.

Before email, office workers used to get well copied copies of funny things to pass around be it jokes or signs or whatever. I remember one popular sign said, "The beatings will continue until morale improves."

Well one of them was a list of acronyms you could use instead of the curse words. I only remember a couple, but they were pretty funny. I'm sure that we're in the days of texting the list today would be much different.

SSDD: Same S* Different Day

SFB: S* for Brains